B.C. Greens face stickhandling act in deciding which party it would back: expert

Howard Alexander - News Editor

B.C. Green party leader Andrew Weaver is joined by elected party members Adam Olsen and Sonia Furstenau to speak to media in the rose garden on the Legislature grounds in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, May 10, 2017.

Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

May 10, 2017 - 7:45 PM

VANCOUVER - It's not easy being Green on British Columbia's political scene — especially for a party facing a difficult choice in who it might back in a minority government.

Political scientists say Green Leader Andrew Weaver must carefully stickhandle his limited power while not alienating his own supporters if the results from Tuesday's provincial election hold once the final count is done in two weeks' time.

The Liberal party won 43 seats, leaving it one seat short of a majority government.

The NDP won 41 seats and the Greens have three seats, leaving Weaver to determine whether to side with the Liberals or the New Democrats in a minority government situation.

Prof. Richard Johnston of the University of British Columbia says that while the Greens share some common policies with the NDP on issues such as electoral reform, the party must evaluate whether it should back the losing team.

Kathryn Harrison, also a professor at UBC, says the Greens must weigh the risks of either choice but the Liberals may wait to do any negotiating until after May 24, when a final count of ballots is expected.

Every week, WildSafe B.C. posts a new video to its Facebook page to highlight a wild space in the B.C. Interior. This week, provincial WildSafe B.C. coordinator Frank Ritcey takes you on a grassland hike near Kamloops showin